Resilient closure for containers



March 1956 G. A. MOORE ESILIENT CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 6, 1954 mvENTBH United States Patent RESlLlENT CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS George Arlington Moore, New York, N. Y.

Application January 6, 1954, Serial No. 402,558

6 Claims. (Cl. 229-45) This invention relates to resilient closures for containers made of sheet material, the closure being adapted to close the container substantially tight by folded segments of extended side wall portions having resilient co-active relationship. The closure is particularly adaptable for foodstuff containers to provide them with utility of convenience for eflicient closing of the container after filling and also provide simple means for the consumer to open and re-close the container repeatedly for dispensing purposes.

There are many types of conventional paper containers having folded closures such as those used for ice cream, delicatessen products and other such commodities, such closures however are inadequate to close the containers efiiciently, the sides adjacent the top of the containers having relatively narrow openings caused by the bowing of the closure flaps. This condition is augmented by the lack of resistance of the inwardly folded flaps that fail to properly engage the overlapped closure walls.

The present invention contemplates improvements in the structure of folded closures and has for its object an improved closure that is adapted to be folded to 'close the container efliciently.

Another object of the invention is to provide paper containers with a folded closure having resilient means with which to maintain substantially tight lateral Wall closing engagements.

A further object is to provide a folded closure having spring-like cushion ledges having co-action with a closure wall.

A still further object of the invention is to provide the closure walls with efiicient lateral locking means.

These and other objects will be evident upon a consideration of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of an elongated container blank having end portions adapted for the closure,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a companion blank having other end portions adapted for the closure,

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the open container prior to being closed,

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the closed container, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in cross-section of the completed closure taken on line 55 in Fig. 4.

The closure illustrated in this invention is adaptable for various types of container bodies preferably of rectangular shape that maybe provided with body wall extended segments of material such as those of the folding carton type. The container illustrated for the embodiment of the present invention is assembled of two generally elongated blanks of sheet material, the blanks being crossed with each'other to form the bottom and side walls of the container. The blanks of Figs. 1 and 2 may bev made of any suitable sheet material such as.

paper board, plastic or aluminum sheet. The primary blank 4 is provided with subdivided wall portions 5, 6 and 7 defined with transverse and parallel medial folding lines 8, 9, 9' and .10, 10' and longitudinally disposed medial lines 11 and 12 positioned on opposed adjacent sides of the blank, the lines 12 sloping outwardly toward the parallel sides of the blank. The folding line portions 9 and 10 are scored, the end portions 9' and 10 are perforated from the exterior side of the blank. Successive marginal portions 13 and 14 are disposed outwardly of the longitudinally disposed medial lines and are partially separated with V-shaped notches 13' having blunt apices 14' each being centrally transverse of the parallel lines 8. The Wall portion 5 and marginal portions 13 and 14 are provided with dry activator adhesive indicated with shaded areas.

A wall portion 15 is laterally disposed outwardly from the medial score line 10 and constitutes a closure wall provided with two parallel longitudinal embossed lines 16 and a pair of crescent shape cut lines 17 each of which is disposed in transverse alignment and positioned outwardly of each of the embossed lines and spaced inwardly of the transverse end 18, 18' and parallel sides 19 of the wall portion.

The opposite end of the blank is provided with a lateral Wall portion 20 disposed outwardly of the score medial line 9, 9. The wall provides a central tab portion 21 having parallel sides and an adjacent pair of tongue portions 22 having tapered sides joining straight parallel slit edges terminating at transverse base score lines 23 disposed in opposed alignment. 7

The companion blank 24 shown in Fig. 2 is provided with a central wall portion 25 defined with a pair of parallel medial lines 26 and outwardly opposed lateral Wall portions 27 each defined with outer score lines 28 and outwardly opposed sloping portions of the sides 29 of the blank. The opposed like-ends of the blank consists of outwardly disposed oblong-shaped portions 30 and 31 defined with a dividing score line 32 and transverse parallel sides 33.

The assembled blanks form the container 34 (Fig. 3). The superimposed wall portions 5 and 25 form the bottom of the container and the up-turned wall portions 6, 7 and 27 form the side walls, the opposed marginal portions 13 and 14 providing overlapping wall flanges united along corner edges of integrally related bottom and side walls of the container.

The containers may be dipped or sprayed with wax or they may be sprayed with suitable plastic resinous solutions for rendering the containers liquid or grease-proof. The closure wall segments if desired may be conveniently folded by hand to close the container after filling. The marginal portions 30 and 31 are folded inwardly on the wall score line 28 and outwardly on the marginal score line 32 to form an opposed pair of spring-like resiliently active cushion ledges upon the top end of the container body. The ledges are flattened downwardly in horizontal surface relationship with score lines 10, 10' prior to the folding of the closure Wall 15 in order to align the side edges 33 of the folded ledges with cut score lines 10' extending outwardly from each end of the score line 10, side edges 33 being in edge to face abutment with marginal interior surface portions of the side wall 7.

The closure wall 15 shown in Fig. 3 is folded inwardly and downwardly upon the upper surface portions of the folded closure seating ledges as shown in Fig. 5. Wall portion 29 is then folded inwardly and downwardly over the edge 18 of folded wall 15 and over adjacent side edges 33 of the folded ledges, tongue portions 22 of wall 20 being bent downwardly on score lines 23 to be inserted into slit openings 17 of folded wall 15. After the tongue portions are entered into openings 17, wall portion 20 is flattened downwardly upon folded wall portion 15 which completes the insertion of tongue portions 22 into slit opentens the central portion of the closure forming walls thereby causing outwardly opposed margins of folded walls 15 and 20 to be arched upwardly by influences coacting with the folded ledges, which ledges have a constant tendency to spring upwardly against marginally opposed sides of the locked walls 15-20 which arrests said constant spring activity as shown in the illustration of Fig. 5. Thus, the co-acting effects of the resilient ledges acting upon the tongue locked overlapping end closing folded walls provide means which forms and maintains a tight closure of the container in non-adhered seam forming relationship.

The container illustrated for a preferred embodiment of the closure of the instant invention is provided with tapered side walls thus affording the nesting of empty containers each in the other and provide for economy in shipping and storage space. The details of the locking means for the flat walls of the closure is a preferred embodiment. I have found that a single tongue and slit arrangement of various contoured shapes is effective when having co-action with the resilient ledges to form the closure. The closure may be sealed with applied adhesive if desired.

The closure may be conveniently opened by lifting the tab 21 and pulling it upwardly to release the tongues 22 from slits 17 and unlock the closure walls. The closure is adapted to be opened and reclosed repeatedly without impairment of its efiiciency to continue the protection of the remaining contents in the container. The clo sure provides a flat wall void of recesses to facilitate the economical stacking of filled containers when shipping and displaying them in retail stores.

It will be recognized that many changes in the structure and procedure described may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container made of sheet material and being provided with a plurality of side walls arranged in opposing pairs with a closed end and a folded closure which cornprises two opposing side walls of the container being provided with upper marginal portions, each portion being folded inwardly and downwardly from a longitudinal score line, and at substantially right angles with respect to its corresponding side wall, an inner portion of said folded marginal portion being folded from another longitudinal score line and upwardly, outwardly and downwardly to be self superimposed upon the first folded portion, the surface of the longitudinal terminal edge of the last folded marginal portion being disposed in substantially coplanar relationship with the adjacent exterior surface of said corresponding side wall, flat surfaces of said folded marginal portions being non-adhered to constitute a pair of resilient closure wall seating ledges having a constant tendency to spring upwardly when being flatly pressed downwardly, two opposed adjacent side walls of the container being provided with upper wall portions thereof that constitute end enclosure walls, one of said end walls being folded inwardly and downwardly over initially flattened adjacent end portions of said ledges that have side edges in abutment with an upper interior surface margin of the side wall from which said one end wall is folded, and said ledges being further flattened by said folded wall at opposite side edges that are disposed in abutment with an upper interior surface margin of the opposite adjacent side wall of the container 4 including an abutment therewith of the longitudinal end edge of said folded end wall, the upper wall portion of said opposite adjacent side wall. being folded inwardly while two opposed tongue portions thereof are folded downwardly to be inserted into a pair of slit openings that are provided in said first folded end wall after which, said latter folded wall portion is flattened downwardly upon an exterior surface portion of the first folded wall to complete said insertion of the tongue portions in said openings and thereby lock both of said folded walls together without use of adhesive, the first folded Wall engaged upon said pair of opposed folded ledges being locked in said engagement by the overlapping folded wall portion to keep the folded marginal portions of said seating ledges compressed in flattened relationship so that the constant tendency of the ledges to spring upwardly against the surface contacted marginal sides of said locked walls will tightly close the container in non-adhered seam forming relationship.

2. A container for food-stuffs and being made of sheet material comprising a body portion of substantially rectangular horizontal cross section having four side walls and a flat end closure for said body portion, said end closure being provided with a pair of inwardly opposed first folded marginal portions provided by upper portions of two opposed side walls of said body, each of said marginal portions being folded inwardly at substantially right angles to the corresponding side wall, and a portion of said folded margin being further folded upwardly, outwardly and downwardly upon the first folded portion so that the longitudinal end edge of the second folded portion is disposed along and upon the folded corner edge of said corresponding side wall, and thereby provide a pair of non-adhered resiliently active closure wall seating ledges having opposed side edges thereof engaged in edge to face abutment with upper interior surface margins of a second pair of adjacent side Walls of said body, one side wall of said second pair being provided with a foldable full end closing panel having a pair of outwardly opposed longitudinal straight end edge portions offset with respect to a lower central longitudinal straight end edge portion, said ledges being flatly compressed downwardly and said full panel being folded inwardly and downwardly upon said ledges, said outwardly opposed straight end edge portions of the folded panel being disposed in edge to face abutment with upper interior surface margins of an adjacent side wall and in co-planar surface relationship with the adjacent abutted edges of said ledges, the second wall of said second pair of side walls being provided with a foldable wall portion having upper bendable tongue-like projections, said foldable wall being folded inwardly and downwardly to insert said projections into yieldable openings provided in said folded full end closing panel, the major portion of the last folded wall being flatly engaged in overlapping relationship upon the exterior surface of said panel and the engaged tonguelike projections providing means that lock the overlap ping wall portions together so that two opposed marginal surface sides of the full end closing panel are flatly engaged compressibly upon the upper folded margins of said ledges, the resilient activity of said ledges having a constant tendency to spring upwardly upon said marginal surface sides of said locked panel, and the co-action of said resiliency of the ledges and locked panel being eflective to seal said fiat end closure in non-adhered seam forming relationship.

3. A container as set forth in claim 2 wherein said folded full end closing panel is provided with embossed stiffening ribs disposed substantially across the center of the panel wall, the overlapping folded wall portion being provided with a flatly projected central wall portion that is disposed upon said ribs, the co-acting elfects of said stiffening ribs and projected wall portion providing means to maintain a substantially flat surface plane of the closure walls central of the engagements formed upon said resiliently active ledges thereby being effective to minimize the arc formed by the co-acting ledges which tighten the non-adhered seam forming surface engagements in the structure of said closure.

4. A container of sheet material comprising a body portion of substantially rectangular horizontal cross section having side walls arranged in opposing pairs and a substantially flat end closure for said body portion, said end closure including a pair of inwardly opposed folded oblong marginal wall portions integral of one pair of said opposed side walls, each inwardly folded margin of said pair being further folded upon a central and straight longitudinal fold line that is parallel with the first folded corner edge so that like marginal portions are self-superimposed, and the face of the longitudinal end cut edge of the upper disposed folded margin being positioned in substantially coplanar relationship with the exterior surface of the particular corresponding side wall of said body portion, thereby providing a pair of closure wall seating ledges having constant upward spring tendency, the spring action of the ledges being augmented by said last folded margins thereof, each wall of a second pair of opposed side walls of said body portion of the container being provided with a foldable closure forming wall portion that is folded independent of said spring active ledges, each said closure forming wall being folded in alternate folds inwardly and downwardly in overlapping relationship upon said ledges, the oblong marginal portions of the ledges being flatly compressed downwardly by the first folded lapped closure wall, said overlapping closure walls being provided with means that look said walls together in non-adhered fiat surface to surface engagement downwardly upon said ledges, said spring action of the oblong ledges having co-acting effects that uniformly tighten their respective surface engagements upon resisting surface portions of said locked closure walls and thereby maintain said contacting surfaces in non-adhered seam forming relationship in the structure of the closure to effectively seal said container.

5. A container as set forth in claim 4 wherein the independent closure forming wall portions upon being folded in alternate stages provide means for the first folded closure forming wall to flatly engage and downwardly compress said ledges, the second folded wall portion being provided with tongue-like projections that engage into openings provided in said first folded wall thereby locking the first and second folded walls together in overlapping relationship downwardly upon said compressed ledges, the spring activity of the ledges having constant tendency to expand upwardly upon corresponding inner surface marginal portions of said locked walls, said activity being resisted by co-acting effects of said tongue engagement which maintains a substantially fiat surface plane disposed in a central portion of said locked walls and thereby augment said resistance against the upward spring of said ledges upon outer opposed marginal surface sides of said central flat plane constituting means to maintain said engaged surfaces in contacting non-adhered seam forming relationship in the structure of the closure before and after the opening thereof for container content dispensing purpose.

6. A container of sheet material having a tubular body portion of substantially rectangular horizontal cross section with side walls arranged in opposing pairs and a substantially flat resiliently sealed end closure for said body portion, said end closure comprising upper marginal portions of one pair of said opposing side walls being folded to provide a pair of inwardly opposed spring resilient closure wall seating ledges, each ledge of said pair having a lower folded horizontally fiat margin and an integral upper folded horizontally fiat margin, the face of the longitudinal end cut edge of said upper margin being disposed in substantially co-planar relation with the exterior face of the particular corresponding side wall of the container, one wall of a second pair of said opposed side walls being provided with a foldable full end closing panel that is independent of said pair of opposed ledges, said panel being folded inwardly and downwardly flatly upon said upper margins of the ledges so that the upper and lower margins thereof are compressibly superimposed in non-adhered relationship, the transversely opposed end edges of the superimposed margins being engaged in fiat abutment upon upper interior surface margins of said second pair of opposed side walls, the opposed longitudinal parallel side edges of said folded end closing panel being substantially coincident in relation to said longitudinal cut end edges of the upper margins of said ledges, the opposing side wall of said second pair being provided with a foldable wall portion, and said portion being folded inwardly and downwardly upon the exterior surface of the first folded end closing panel that initially compresses said ledges, said panel and last folded wall portion each being provided with means that co-act together in locking said walls together so as to retain said first folded panel compressibly flat upon the top face of said upper margins of the ledges in non-adhered surface to surface intimate relationship, the constant tendency of said ledges to spring upwardly being arrested by marginally opposed sides of said retained panel thereby being effective to resiliently seal said flat end closure in non-adhered seam forming relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,414,067 Bliss Apr. 25, 1922 1,482,857 Moore Feb. 5, 1924 2,143,940 Craig Jan. 17, 1939 2,215,348 Cowan Sept. 17, 1940 2,342,543 Inman Feb. 22, 1944 2,428,845 Guyer Oct. 14, 1947 2,491,278 Ringler Dec. 13, 1949 2,492,454 Anderson Dec. 27, 1949 2,492,712 Ringler Dec. 27, 1949 2,665,837 Guyer Jan. 12, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 541,225 Great Britain Nov. 18, 1941 

